middlesex university research repositorytechnologies, opens up the possibility of audio drama that...
TRANSCRIPT
Middlesex University Research RepositoryAn open access repository of
Middlesex University research
http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk
Parry, Nye, Bendon, Helen ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0600-8524, Boyd Davis,Stephen and Moar, Magnus ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9489-9795 (2009) Moving
tales, exploring narrative strategies for scalable locative audio drama. In: ISEA09 InternationalSymposium on Electronic Art, 23 Aug - 01 Sep 2009, Belfast, Northern Ireland. .
Final accepted version (with author’s formatting)
This version is available at: http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/4503/
Copyright:
Middlesex University Research Repository makes the University’s research available electronically.
Copyright and moral rights to this work are retained by the author and/or other copyright ownersunless otherwise stated. The work is supplied on the understanding that any use for commercial gainis strictly forbidden. A copy may be downloaded for personal, non-commercial, research or studywithout prior permission and without charge.
Works, including theses and research projects, may not be reproduced in any format or medium, orextensive quotations taken from them, or their content changed in any way, without first obtainingpermission in writing from the copyright holder(s). They may not be sold or exploited commercially inany format or medium without the prior written permission of the copyright holder(s).
Full bibliographic details must be given when referring to, or quoting from full items including theauthor’s name, the title of the work, publication details where relevant (place, publisher, date), pag-ination, and for theses or dissertations the awarding institution, the degree type awarded, and thedate of the award.
If you believe that any material held in the repository infringes copyright law, please contact theRepository Team at Middlesex University via the following email address:
The item will be removed from the repository while any claim is being investigated.
See also repository copyright: re-use policy: http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/policies.html#copy
Exploring Narrative Strategies for Scalable Locative Audio Drama
Nye Parry, Helen Bendon, Stephen Boyd Davis, Magnus MoarLansdown Centre for Electronic Arts, Middlesex University
Submission number: 128
Introduction
This paper reports on a recent collaboration between the Lansdown Centre for Electronic Arts at
Middlesex University and the BBC Radio Drama Department, which was designed to investigate the
narrative possibilities of locative media in a drama context. The locative drama Scratch is the first
outcome of an ongoing research project, Locating Drama, whose aim is to investigate and develop
narrative strategies that take full advantage of the current generation of GPS enabled portable
computing devices for audio drama. In particular, we are exploring content and modes of interaction,
which, while based on location awareness are not in any way site-specific allowing users to
experience the drama in a location of their choice. We will refer to this approach as translocational as
it allows the translation of locative media experiences to a wide variety of spaces. The translocational
approach is of particular interest to broadcasters as it is more scalable than a site-specific paradigm,
opening the possibility of downloadable location-aware podcasts featuring professionally authored
content for a wide audience.
Scratch was initially presented at the BBC Radio 3 Free Thinking Festival in Liverpool (UK). The
delivery of the project was, briefly, as follows. Pre-recorded audio files are preloaded onto GPS-
equipped iPAQ pocket computers, provided by Hewlett-Packard, using their MScape authoring tool
as a prototyping platform (an iPhone version is also under development). These audio files are
associated with locations in a physical space, relative to the starting point, so, as participants move
around, they encounter a number of scenes triggered by the GPS sensor. One of the principal design
decisions was to create a wholly aural interactive experience: once the user has pressed Start there
is no need for further explicit interaction with the device. In our quest to make the technology
‘transparent’ all interaction is achieved through movement in space and all feedback is diegetically
embedded in the narrative. These ideas build on our previous translocational work such as ’Ere be
Dragons (Boyd Davis et al 2007).
Scratch presents a complex narrative of interwoven stories in which the listener is implicated as an
eavesdropper on increasingly surreal childhood events which are finally revealed to have been an
inner journey taken under hypnosis.
Context
As Iain Chambers observes, the advent of the personal stereo has changed not only where and
when we listen, but also how we relate to what we hear:
Here as opposed to the discarded “grand narratives” (Lyotard) of the city, the Walkman
offers the possibility of a micro-narrative, a customised story and soundtrack, not merely
a space but a place, a site of dwelling. Our listening acts as an escape from our lived
environment while also intersecting with this environment forming an accidental
soundtrack to our real lives.” (Chambers 2004: 100)
This leads to the possibility of what Siegfried (Siegfried 2006) calls ‘situational stories’, in which the
listening environment can be considered an active participant in the story-telling.
The ready availability of portable media players such as smart-phones or PDAs that combine the
ability to play back audio with location detection using the global positioning system (GPS) or similar
technologies, opens up the possibility of audio drama that is directly responsive to the listener’s
location and/or movement in space.
While artists such Blast Theory in the UK (Koleve et al 2001) or Katapult in Denmark (Hansen et al
2008) have been exploring the potential of locative media for forms of dramatic storytelling, they have
focussed on specific sites and have often even involved live actors in the space. In contrast we are
constructing translocational dramas which may be experienced in any suitable (outdoor) location.
Parks, beaches, station platforms are transformed into virtual theatres through immersive audio.
Design and Development
At an early stage in the development of Scratch writers and producers were invited to participate in
demonstrations of the technology, with the aim that their experience of this mode of interaction would
inform every aspect of the production, from script development to recording techniques and editing
strategies. We presented them with a range of examples of audio experiences in clearly defined
virtual spaces and experimented with various layouts or storyshapes.
Following these demonstrations, the writers pitched to produce a locative drama. Penelope Skinner
was selected on the basis of a concept that became Scratch. Her script involved a journey through a
number of distinct soundscapes: a garden, a house, the mysterious east wing, and finally a surreal
circus or fairground. The script was driven by the sonic possibilities and described many features of
each soundscape in great detail. The layout of scenes in the space was suggested by her in the
script. It drew on many of the features presented in the demonstrations and the subsequent
discussion, in particular, the idea of unique sonic environments, separated by clear audio
boundaries, through which the listener could walk from one environment to another. Characters
played out various scenes within these defined spaces.
Figure 1 shows the layout as it was implemented for the Liverpool trials. The overarching linear
trajectory of the story was mapped directly onto the space so that the end of the story occurred at the
furthest point from the start, with alternative routes available through the space. There was an
emphasis on creating a detailed geography with sound effects such as clocks and fountains placed in
specific positions within each virtual environment. This layout required the system to be calibrated as
the scale and orientation of the virtual space needed to be matched to the listening environment.
ReturnWhen designing for a translocational experience, we cannot rely on the extrinsic associations of site-
specific media experiences. In a site-specific piece story elements are associated with particular
locations (e.g., this is the actual location where a battle took place). In a translocational drama this
relationship is reversed as locations become intrinsically associated with characters or moments in
the story, wherever they were first encountered (e.g. this is where I heard the gardener). This
becomes meaningful when listeners are allowed to return to locations they have already visited as it
helps them to fully recognize their role in the listening experience. Re-visiting a place must have a
meaningful result: a recurring character or a sound environment that is noticeably related. It can also
allow us to introduce the temporal into the narrative, as revisiting a space can offer a progression in
time (e.g. listeners might encounter the same character, only older). In the Liverpool trial return to a
location signified memory. Auditory scenes were replaced by collages of already heard material
summarizing the ‘story so far’ which allowed the user to rewind their experience and connect new
material to old.
Beyond the Trial
In response to extensive evaluation of the Liverpool experience, incorporating questionnaires, filmed
interviews and feedback meetings, two further layouts have been tested by the team, which will be
discussed below. The second of these in particular satisfies the requirements of translocationality
while also addressing issues of responsiveness and control that were raised by the evaluation
process.
1.Islands model
The seamlessness of the sound design made it hard for users to distinguish between aural changes
inherent in the unfolding scene, and those initiated by their movements. In particular, the fact that a
number of scenes could be found within a single soundscape, such as the garden or the house,
made it hard to appreciate that two adjoining scenes were separate localised entities. The
consistency of the background sound design caused some listeners to describe the experience as
being like listening to a cd or the radio, with little sense that they were either controlling or uncovering
localised events.
We believe this to be partly due to the fact that more than one scene could be found within each
soundscape. The explicit reference by individual characters to sounds which formed the boundaries
between soundscapes (e.g. references to an oncoming storm and the sound of thunder) may also
have reduced the clarity of the spatial mapping. One feature that consistently elicited a positive
response, however, was the first transition, walking forward through a seascape into a garden
environment. This clear movement from one soundscape into a quite different one, seemed to
emphasise the sense of control due to the high level of contrast between the spaces.
A version was therefore devised in which all scenes were located as isolated islands in a ‘sea of the
unconscious’. (Figure 2) The listener would wander through a seascape until a scene was located.
The sea would then fade to reveal the scene, played out in the appropriate atmosphere (house,
garden, east wing). At the end of the scene or if the participant moved away, the sea would encroach
on the action and drown out the narrative.
This islands model did indeed seem to increase the listener’s sense of control, particularly when
moving away from a scene and stepping back into the sea. However the loss of the clear geography
provided by the individual soundscapes and boundaries was lamented and participants felt lost and
literally ‘at sea’ in their search for the islands.
This emphasised a problem that had been reported in the Liverpool trials, that people were afraid
they were missing important scenes and wanted to know where they were in ‘the story’. While such
problems are to an extent inevitable when novel technologies are applied to a dramatic form which
raises traditional expectations, a primary objective was to construct an experience that was
dramatically satisfying. A solution was found which allowed the listener to navigate the space with
greater confidence and simultaneously removed the need for calibration.
2. The return model
The theoretical importance of return to the design of translocational drama has been discussed
above, and allowing users to discover that content changed on returning to a location, was always
central to our intentions. However, our evaluation revealed that few users explored this option, even
if it was explicitly suggested to them. It is likely that the underlying linearity of the layout and the
development of the story itself discouraged this mode of use.
A version has now been created in which each space contains only one scene. Return to a space
through a boundary replaces that scene with another, taking place in the same familiar environment
and often involving the same characters. This allows the user to have clearer expectations of where
to find scenes and more control over the movement of the story. The end of the narrative now takes
place on return to the start-point forcing the listener to return to already visited areas.
Technically the spaces/scenes are laid out in concentric circles around the starting point allowing the
user to set off in any direction (Figure 3). This solves most of the problems of calibration leaving
distance as the only fixed parameter.
Conclusions
Scratch was perceived to be a positive experience. Listeners were excited by the possibilities of
translocational drama, reporting they would like to experience more pieces like Scratch in future. The
wider Locating Drama project will continue to investigate the implications of the medium in greater
depth.In particular the following areas need further investigation.
1. A more Iterative approach to content developmentThe writing process, the layout and the interaction design should be intimately linked. In Scratch
many interaction design decisions were made after the script had already been recorded. What is
required is a more iterative approach in which interaction design and story development are
intimately tied together.
2. Diegetic user instructionThe ideal of a plug-and-play experience in which users need no prior knowledge of the layout and
modes of interaction has not been fully realized. We are interested in finding diegetic solutions to the
instruction of users. How can the user be led through the story so that their role is clear to them and
the interaction possibilities are suggested subtly but comprehensibly?
3. The relationship of the listener to the storyIn Scratch the listener is frequently referred to and even addressed in the story, but not all listeners
picked up on this. We will investigate further the roles of the listener as eavesdropper, witness and
active participant in the narrative.
4. The overlay of the virtual space onto real spaceThe translocational approach establishes a relationship between the actual listening location and the
story. Many listeners report moments when confluence of the real and the fictional occurs (e.g. a dog
running across their path while the fictional characters are searching for their pet) or moments of
dissonance where the real world intrudes on the virtual.
While serendipity will continue to play a major role in this, it may be possible to create deliberate
points of contact either by devising dramas for particular generic types of location (e.g. beaches or
cemeteries) or even by allowing the system to interrogate POI (points of interest) databases to find
out more about the actual listening environment chosen by the listener.
The notion of translocational audio drama promises to open the field of location-aware media
experiences to a wide public, retaining the physicality of the interaction and the strong association of
place and aural memory without restricting access to a geographically limited area. Scratch has been
a first step and opened up a vast range of possibilities for further development.
References
Chambers, I., The Aural Walk (pp. 98 – 102.) in Cox, C., Warner, D., (eds.) Audio Culture, Readings
in Modern Music. New York: Continuum, 2004. Print.
Koleva B, Taylor I, Benford S, Fraser M, Greenhalgh C, Schnädelbach, H, vom Lehn D, Heath C,
Row-Farr J, Adams M, Orchestrating a mixed reality performance (pp.38 – 45). New York: ACM,
2001. Print. Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems, Seattle,
Washington, United States.
Hansen F A, Kortbek K J and Gronbæk K, Mobile Urban Drama, Setting the Stage with Location
Based Technologies (pp 20 – 31) in Spierling U. and Szilas N. (eds.) Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag,
2008. Print. Proceedings of the First Joint International Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling,
ICIDS 2008.
Boyd Davis, S., Moar, M., Jacobs, R., Watkins, M. and Capra, M. 2007. “Mapping Inside Out” in:
Magerkurth and Röcker (eds) Pervasive Gaming Applications: Volume 2. Shaker, Aachen.(199-226).
Siegfried, W., Soundtracks to Reality, http://www.ariarium.de/stracks.htm
(1996) Web. 21 Jun 2009.
Hewlett Packard Mscape: http://www.mscapers.com/. Web. 21 Jun 2009.